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Most flavoured coffee is laid over a dark roast, because a bitter base gives a flavouring something to hide behind. This capsule does the opposite, using a blonde roast, and the result tastes of coffee first and flavour second.
Why flavour usually rides on dark roasts
Dark roasting fills the centre of the cup with bitterness, and any flavouring added on top ends up tasting like a coating. That is why so many flavoured capsules taste alike whichever variety you bought: the roast does the talking and the flavour is little more than a smell. Blonde, the Starbucks term for its palest roasts, leaves that middle ground open.
On a light base the coffee keeps its own sweetness and a slight citrus brightness, so the hazelnut and cocoa land alongside it and can actually be tasted. The trade-off is weight. Roast depth is deliberately low and the body is medium for an espresso capsule, lighter again if you run it long, so do not expect the dark, smoky floor of a conventional flavoured espresso.
Hazelnut first, chocolate second
Read the name back to front and you have the balance right. The hazelnut is by far the louder of the two, warm and dry rather than sugary, and it is the note that greets you when the box is opened. The cocoa stays behind it, softening and rounding the cup rather than turning it into a dessert. Anyone buying it chiefly for chocolate will find the proportions the other way round from what they hoped.
Neither flavour carries the sugary weight of a syrup, and most of the character arrives through the nose. The aromatics lift into the steam in the first few seconds of brewing, which explains why a flavoured coffee can promise more on the nose than it delivers on the tongue, and why an abandoned cup turns flat quickly. Warm the cup before brewing and drink it promptly to keep that layer in the drink.
Machine fit and the rest of the Starbucks range
These are the small Nespresso Original capsules. They do not fit the larger Vertuo system, and Dolce Gusto and Tassimo machines, though often shelved alongside, run on entirely separate pods. The box holds ten capsules, 51g of coffee in all, one drink from each: the right quantity for a flavour you want now and then rather than every morning.
If you like the light base but not the flavouring, the Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast is the unflavoured blonde in the same system, and there is a Blonde Espresso Roast Decaf for later in the day. Food should add what the capsule holds back: extra chocolate, since the cocoa here is only a supporting note, or dark chocolate and ginger for warmth against the dry hazelnut.
The packs we stock
- Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut by Nespresso Coffee, Blonde Roast, Box of 10, 51g (barcode 8445291787025)
What to eat with it
- Maryland Cookies Double Chocolate, 200g: Double chocolate supplies the cocoa that the capsule deliberately keeps in second place.
- Border Dark Chocolate Ginger Organic Biscuits, 150g: Dark chocolate and ginger bring warmth and bite against the warm, dry hazelnut.
- McVitie's Hobnobs Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 262g: Oats and milk chocolate lean into the warm, nutty side of the cup.
Elsewhere in the Starbucks range
- Starbucks Americano House Blend By Nescafe Dolce Gusto, Coffee (12 Servings), 12 Pods
- Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast by NESPRESSO Coffee, Blonde Roast, Box of 10, 53g
- Starbucks Breakfast Blend by Nespresso Medium Roast Coffee, 10 Capsules 56g
- Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto 12 x Madagascar Vanilla Macchiato Coffee (6 Servings)
- Starbucks by Nescafé Dolce Gusto 12 x White Mocha Coffee (6 Servings)
- Starbucks by Nespresso Blonde Espresso Roast Coffee, 10 Pods
The full range is on the Starbucks brand page.
FAQ
Does Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut taste more of chocolate or hazelnut? Hazelnut, clearly. The chocolate is a soft cocoa note that rounds the cup rather than leading it.
Does blonde roast mean less caffeine? No. Roast colour is not a measure of caffeine, and this is a fully caffeinated coffee.
Which machines take Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut capsules? Nespresso Original machines. They do not fit Vertuo, Dolce Gusto or Tassimo machines.
Is it sweet like a syrup coffee? No. The flavour comes as notes in the coffee rather than as a sweet dessert drink.
How much coffee is in a box of Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut? There is 51g across ten capsules, with one drink from each.
Curator's note: Warm the cup first and drink it while the steam is still rising, because most of the hazelnut lives in the aroma and it does not wait around. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.
In short: Starbucks Chocolate Hazelnut for Nespresso: Why a Blonde Base
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Brand | Starbucks |
| Packs we stock | Blonde Roast, Box of 10, 51g |
| Category | Coffee Pods & Capsules |
| Caffeine | caffeinated |
| Roast | Blonde, the light end of the Starbucks scale |
| Leading note | Hazelnut, with cocoa behind |
| Best with | A double chocolate cookie |
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